Overcoming the Orichalcos
by Dark Lord Ereshkigal
Summary: In the depths of the Graveyard, Guardian Eatos learns to her horror how deeply the Seal of the Orichalcos has corrupted Rafael. Desperately wondering what has happened to her previously kindhearted master, she will find answers from the most unexpected source: a familiar Spellcaster who fought her as an enemy moments before. Takes place during Grappling with a Guardian 2 and 3.


A/N: This was an idea that passed through my head while I was watching Parts 2 and 3 of Grappling with a Guardian from Yu-Gi-Oh, during the Waking the Dragons arc. What could the monsters be thinking as their masters, Yami and Rafael, dueled for their very souls? Focuses on Guardian Eatos and Dark Magician. NOT a pairing, merely a friendship formed in turmoil and the depths of the grave.

Overcoming the Orichalcos

Guardian Eatos' eyes opened as she found herself in the barren, dead land of the card graveyard. The last thing she remembered before succumbing to the darkness was seeing the Dark Magician, on the back of the Amulet Dragon, assaulting her at the command of the Pharaoh. Even as Timaeus had annihilated her with overwhelming power, she had felt his strength blast away the corruption of the Orichalcos that had dominated her the moment she had stepped foot onto the field.

"Why, master Rafael…" she whispered. "Why did you have to play that card and force us all into the darkness with you?" From his very childhood, Eatos had watched over his master as he struggled to survive on the island on which he had been stranded. She would gladly protect and fight alongside her master to the very end….but not like this. Not when the Orichalcos had tainted her very being, bringing out the very worst in her.

Before she could think any more, there was a flash of thunder. A vortex opened up high in the sky, and four figures tumbled out of it into the graveyard with her. Eatos' eyes widened as she recognized the figures. Backup Gardna, Guardian Elma, Guardian Kay'est, and Guardian Grarl.

"What happened?" she asked worried, though a small part of her was thankful that they were no longer under the control of the Orichalcos.

"I can't believe it!" Grarl snarled, his eyes burning with rage and disgust.

Eatos pressed on, confusion still reigning within her. "Did the Pharaoh destroy you with a Spell or Trap card? Is Master Rafael all right? He seemed devastated when the Pharaoh's Amulet Dragon destroyed me."

Grarl snorted derisively and sneered. "Master Rafael will be doing just fine without us. He's made that very clear just now! A fine way to repay us after everything we've done for him!"

"I still don't understand!"

Elma finally cleared the mystery. "He sacrificed us!" she explained angrily. "Master Rafael summoned that accursed Guardian Dreadscythe to the field and used its Reaper Scythe to sacrifice us all, just so he could give it enough strength to defeat the Pharaoh's Amulet Dragon!"

"WHAT?" Eatos shouted in horror, now finally comprehending. "He turned to that abomination now?"

"Oh, he's more than just turning to her," Gardna hissed. "He's put all his faith that disgrace to the name of Guardian, and by doing so he tossed us all aside like trash! This is the blackest treachery I've ever bore witness to. It's just like what the Pharaoh did in their first duel!"

Eatos couldn't believe what she was hearing. Master Rafael? The man who had put so much dedication into his cards? The one who had given them affection akin to family? How could he have done such a horrible thing?

Kay'est burst into tears. "I've seen more horrors in the last few seconds than in entire duels with Master Rafael!" she wailed. "Feeling the Orichalcos tearing inside me, blackening my essence, being discarded as useless moments after I was summoned. Could one single magic card really have changed our beloved master so horribly?"

"I know the answer to that question all too well," an unfamiliar male voice interrupted them. All of them turned to see a tall figure in purple attire carrying a green staff in his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself," he bowed politely. "I am the Dark Magician. Timaeus and I have just fallen in battle ourselves against Guardian Dreadscythe."

"You're the Pharaoh's monster!" Grarl exclaimed.

"Correct," the Dark Magician nodded. "And I assure you now, you are by no means the only ones to have fallen victim to the wickedness of the Orichalcos. Did you not forget the last battle between our respective masters?"

Eatos' eyes widened as she realized what the Dark Magician was saying. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "The Pharaoh was using his Catapult Turtle to ruthlessly hurl you and your fellow monsters towards our master! I had never seen any dueling strategy so callous and cruel in all of my battles. It seemed to only confirm everything my master had said about him being an evil king in his past life."

"There is much you do not understand or know, Guardian…" the Dark Magician responded sadly. "When the Pharaoh sacrificed me and my fellow monsters in that battle, I was furious beyond words. I thought that he had betrayed our trust and that he had ruined his own spirit beyond redemption. But none of us realized that it was the Orichalcos that had unlocked such evil within him, an evil that would never have been allowed to escape had it not been for that accursed Seal."

"How could you forgive him for tossing you aside, just as our master has now done to us?" Eatos lashed out angrily. "It is the duty of the duelist to respect and care for those he commands. Is it so easy for you to forget being destroyed at the hands of the Catapult Turtle? Perhaps your heart is too soft, magician," she mocked. "My friends are all in the graveyard now because of my master's newfound cruelty!"

The Dark Magician accepted Eatos' tirade with surprising patience, though his eyes betrayed a tiniest hint of anger. "You go too far, Guardian. I have not forgotten, nor will I ever forget. And I did not forgive, not at first," Yugi's most iconic monster admitted. "The Pharaoh's other half shielded him with his very soul to save him from oblivion. If Yugi was willing to make that kind of sacrifice even after what the Pharaoh had done, perhaps he was not yet lost."

He looked Eatos straight in the eye. "We have been through many trials and journeys together, the Pharaoh and I. We have saved the world many times, not just in the present but 5000 years ago in the age of the Ancient Egypt. Even in my rage against him for sacrificing us, a part of me knew that the kind man I had known for so long was still fighting within him. But I needed proof beyond all doubt of my master's remorse before I could place my trust in him again."

"Did you ever find the proof that you sought?" Elma asked.

The Magician nodded. "My master rediscovered the light within him, but not without great cost," he explained sadly. "He faced his inner darkness within a place where the realms of life and death meet. And in his battle against the shadow of his own evil, he witnessed with his own eyes the ramifications of his corruption. For the first time he saw what the Orichalcos had done to his heart, and even as I watched from within the depths of his deck I could feel his devastation and his horror at the ramifications of his actions."

He looked up towards the sky of the Graveyard where no doubt there masters were still continuing their duel. "I know now that it was not by his own volition that the Pharaoh acted the way he did, at least not entirely. He was a fool to try and harness its power, yes, but he does not deserve to be hated forever because he was corrupted by an outside power. And my instincts tell me that if your master was somehow freed from the evil of the Orichalcos, he would feel the same regret as the Pharaoh."

Guardian Eatos shook her head. "There's one major problem with that statement, Magician," she sighed. "There will be no second chance after this duel for anyone. Your master had two souls living in him last time, and it was only because of the sacrifice of one that the other was spared. Neither Master Rafael nor the Pharaoh have a backup plan to fall back on this time around, and my master has become consumed by the darkness. When one loses, their soul will be lost forever. Where can we possibly find hope under such a black shadow?"

The Dark Magician surprised her by giving her a smile laced with…was that confidence? "Perhaps if my master was an ordinary mortal, then yes, we would be trapped under an inescapable dilemma. But the Pharaoh is far more than you could possibly hope to comprehend, Guardian. Even as his very soul hangs in the balance, I believe he has set himself on a mission specifically with Rafael in his sights."

Suddenly there was a flash of thunder and a female figure fell out of the sky and onto the graveyard grounds. A woman with blond hair in a blue and pink-haired dress looked up at them. "Master?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Hello, my apprentice," the Dark Magician called out to her warmly. "Allow me to introduce you to some new friends I have made quite recently. Guardian Eatos, meet Dark Magician Girl. Dark Magician Girl, meet Backup Gardna and Guardians Eatos, Grarl, Kay'est, and Elma," he pointed out each one to her.

"Pleased to meet you," the Dark Magician Girl greeted them, and they her.

"Tell me, Dark Magician Girl," her master asked, "how was it that you ended up in the grave along with us?"

The DMG looked nervously at her teacher. "The Pharaoh sacrificed me so that he could activate the power of Underworld Circle."

The Dark Magician's eyes widened in shock. "Underworld Circle? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," his student confirmed. "He's changed the entire nature of the duel with that card."

"So it's true after all," the Pharaoh's ace monster breathed in wonder. "The Pharaoh really does have a plan…"

The two of them had forgotten that they had company with them. "Underworld Circle?" Kay'est asked. "I've never heard of that card before. What does it do and why are you reacting this way?"

Her former enemy looked her directly in the eye with an intense game. "Underworld Circle is a unique magic card that forces both players to remove every monster in their hand and deck from the game. As a result, they are now capable of summoning monsters from the Graveyard every turn."

Guardian Eatos suddenly understood why the Pharaoh had tapped into its power. "So this is his way of apologizing!" she exclaimed. "Under the power of the Orichalcos, he threw away you and your friends into the Graveyard. Now, he is atoning for it by rescuing you from death with this strategy!"

"You're…you're right!" the Dark Magician Girl realized with a joyful cheer. "Now he can undo the crime he committed against us!"

"It's not just us he's trying to save, my student," the Dark Magician added, turning back to Guardian Eatos. "I believe that my master is trying to accomplish two goals with that one card. While it is almost certainly true that he has used it as his own personal redemption, I think there is more to it than that. Guardians…I believe that the Pharaoh is trying to guide Rafael back to the light by showing him what he must do to make amends and free himself from the darkness. It was with callous sacrifice that they descended into the darkness, and it is with contrite resurrection that the Pharaoh is taking the path to atonement. And perhaps…your friend will take that same path if he can overcome the darkness."

Guardian Eatos' eyes flashed with hope and she gave the two magicians a faint smile, but it quickly disappeared as another shadow of doubt replaced it. "But can Master Rafael recognize what the Pharaoh is trying to show him? Is there still time left?"

The Dark Magician gave her the same warm smile he had given the Dark Magician Girl moments before. "Yes. He can. The light in your master's heart is tied directly to you, Eatos. Even under the power of the Orichalcos, I saw that he cares about you more than anything else on this Earth. Not even Dreadscythe can take that away."

As the magician offered his words of comfort, Eatos suddenly had a flashback to the days when Rafael had been shipwrecked upon the island. How he had embraced her and her friends, even going so far as to call her his mother. And as her mind flashed through the past, her optimism and confidence in her master grew ever stronger. "You're right!" she answered with renewed vigor. "With the Pharaoh's help, Master Rafael will prevail! He faced down every challenge before, and he'll do it again!" The other Guardians made similar noises and exclamations in agreement.

"My master has his faith in what he calls the Heart of the Cards," the Dark Magician added. "Fate will guide him to succeed in his task and set them both free, of this I am certain."

Suddenly his body began to glow with a white light. "Master!" the Dark Magician Girl cried out in shock. "What's happening?"

"It appears I am being called back to the field of battle!" the Dark Magician explained. "If I am destroyed once more I will not be seeing you again, for monsters defeated in battle with the power of Underworld Circle are removed from the game. If it should come to pass…I will see you on the other side!"

And with a blinding flash of light, he was gone. Guardian Eatos turned to her fellow Guardians on the graveyard floor. "We can only wait now…" she sighed. "Wait and pray that the Dark Magician's words come true." It was not until several moments later that she too felt her body lift from the ground and glow with light.

"What's going on?" Elma exclaimed. "The power of Dreadscythe prevents us from returning from the Graveyard."

"I don't think it is Master Rafael who is summoning me," Eatos replied amazed. "For whatever reason…the PHARAOH is the one who is calling me to battle!"

"Be careful, Eatos. You do not have the power to face Guardian Dreadscythe alone…" Grarl warned.

"I trust the Pharaoh, Grarl. I'm sure he will use me well," Eatos calmly assured him. And with a flash of light, she found herself back onto the field of battle. But this time, however, she was standing against Rafael and his monstrosity.

"Eatos…" Rafael whispered in shock once he saw her.

"One more thing!" the Pharaoh was declaring. "I summon the Claw of Hermos!" A giant red dragon suddenly emerged next to her. "And now, Hermos and Queen's Knight, combine to form Goddess Bow! That doubles the power of Guardian Eatos!"

Eatos grabbed the bow in her hands and flew in a loop, pointing it straight at Dreadscythe. "I can feel my power growing so much stronger!" she marveled as she grasped it in her hands.

"_Guardian Eatos…"_ the voice of Hermos reverberated inside her mind. _"I can sense your thoughts and your will. You wish to free your master from the darkness of the Orichalcos. With the power of this bow, it can be done. The darkness that embodies Dreadscythe can be destroyed here and now. But it will cost your own life in battle as well. Do you accept this?"_

"Without hesitation," the Guardian responded in her head. "I will do whatever it takes to free my master."

"_Then let it be done!"_ Hermos proclaimed as his voice faded away. Eatos heard the Pharaoh's voice give out the order to attack, and she fired her first arrow from the mighty Goddess Bow.

Dreadscythe seemed to sense the danger she was now in. With an unearthly roar, she swung her scythe and blocked the first of her divine arrows. But thanks to the power of Hermos, Eatos could continue her assault again and again. With each arrow she fired into Dreadscythe, another card in Rafael's hand was destroyed. And finally, with the last card destroyed, the corrupted Guardian burst into flames as her body disintegrated to ashes, leaving only her mask behind.

Eatos gently lifted the mask and folded it across her chest, closing her eyes and smiling as she flew high into the air. "Come back!" she heard Rafael's desperate cry as she ascended into the sky. She did not stop rising until she was far out of sight of the battle.

"You did it!" a familiar voice exclaimed. She opened her eyes to see the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and the dragons Timaeus and Hermos standing there in front of her. "You destroyed Dreadscythe and the chains of darkness wrapped around your master's heart!" the Dark Magician continued, his normally stoic and calm visage filled with excitement and pride.

"It is not yet time to celebrate…" Timaeus growled warningly. "We have yet to see whether the darkness within Rafael's heart has actually been defeated. It took many trials for the Pharaoh to overcome the darkness before I could finally permit him to wield my power again."

The five of them looked down towards the battle. To Eatos' shock, Rafael drew two cards as if he were continuing the duel.

"This can't be!" she cried out horrified. "I thought we had prevailed. I thought Master Rafael was free! Did we…did I fail after all?"

"Hold on!" Hermos interrupted. "He's using Underworld Circle's power to bring back Guardian Grarl!" And wait…what's that card he's holding in his hand?"

"It's called Soul Charge," Dark Magician explained. "It allows its holder to summon as many monsters from the Graveyard he so desires at the cost of 500 life points for each card. And it looks like he's summoning Backup Gardna, Elma, and Kay'est back to the field." His eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute!"

"He's sacrificing the rest of his Life Points as an apology to my friends!" Eatos exclaimed. Her eyes widened in horror. "But that means…the Orichalcos…will…NO!" she shouted. "I won't accept this! I won't let the Orichalcos take him away! Not after everything we've been through!"

She started to descend out of the clouds. "Master...I'm coming to save you!" she thought as she returned to visible eyesight of the duelists. As she did so, the sky suddenly brightened and the sun began to shine.

"It's Eatos…" the Pharaoh whispered. He looked directly at Rafael and smiled. "You made the correct choice, Rafael," he congratulated him. "The darkness…has lifted."

Even as he spoke, the green symbol of the Orichalcos and the demonic red eyes of the Guardians all faded away as the Seal's power was broken. Eatos herself said no words, but her expression said volumes about her relief, gratitude, and pride. "We'll always be by your side, master, even if you turn your back on us and cast us aside," she addressed her master in her mind. "No matter what." She placed her hand gently on the spirits of his family. "Come, Sonia, Julien…it is time." As one, they ascended into the sky, each giving Rafael a gentle smile of forgiveness. The Pharaoh had spoken the truth; the darkness of the Orichalcos had been bested.

As Eatos ascended into the sky, she felt the shades of Sonia and Julien slip away into nothingness. She waited for the rest of the Guardians to join her as the Dark Magician and his fellow monsters stepped forward to greet them. "This is truly a magnificent moment!" his apprentice exclaimed happily. "Rafael was able to defeat the evil that consumed his heart for so long. He understood the message that the Pharaoh was trying to tell him, and thanks to your courage and determination he was able to break the power of the Orichalcos for the first time on his own."

Guardian Eatos shook her head. "I cannot take the credit for myself, my friends." She looked straight at the Dark Magician. "It was because of your words of comfort and hope that I was able to find the strength to defeat Dreadscythe and free my master. I cannot thank you enough for giving me this strength, even as I fought against you as an enemy filled with hatred moments before."

The Dark Magician shook his head. "I knew that you were being forced into fighting alongside the shadows, Eatos, through no fault of your own. My apprentice and I both suffered the corruption of the Orichalcos at one point, a time that thankfully has long passed. And now all of us have overcome the darkness. You, me, the Pharaoh, Rafael, we are all joined together in this triumph."

"So…what happens now, friends?" Gardna asked.

"We may have won the battle, but this war is still far from done," Timaeus answered. "As long as Dartz is allowed to continue in his insane and wicked schemes to destroy humanity with his Great Leviathan, none of us are truly safe. My brethren and I will keep on fighting until this menace that hangs over the very earth is extinguished."

Eatos noticed a strange look in the dragon's eye. "Is something the matter?"

Timaeus didn't say anything for a while. "The Pharaoh truly has come a long way, hasn't he?"

The Dark Magician suddenly realized something. "You never really forgave our master for using the Orichalcos in his first duel against Rafael, did you?"

Timaeus sighed. "No…" he admitted. "Not completely. Back in the valley of the Stone Wilderness, I gave my service to him not because I embraced him as a worthy master, but because necessity dictated that he emerge the victor in his battle against the Orichalcos Soldier and I had no choice. But now…now I can see that I was a fool for holding my grudge against him for so long. We all have born witness to a miracle today. Throughout my entire life, this is the first and only time I have ever seen an individual overcome the corruption of the Orichalcos in its entirety," the dragon suddenly smiled warmly. "And it was a miracle that could not have been accomplished without the Pharaoh guiding Rafael to freedom. He truly is deserving of his fate as a Chosen Duelist, and one to whom I will gladly offer my service and my life."

Hermos nodded in agreement. "You are correct, my friend. And I for one will join the struggle alongside the Pharaoh until the very end." He turned to Rafael's guardians. "As our masters' paths separate, so too shall ours diverge. What will you do now?"

Grarl's fists clenched. "Dartz must pay for corrupting our master with the Orichalcos," he growled. "We will stand by our master's side, and when the time comes, we will fight!"

Eatos nodded solemnly. "It is our duty as Rafael's guardians to defend him at all costs. So long as the Orichalcos exists, he will never be truly safe. Though we must soon part ways, be assured that you will always have loyal allies and friends in us, protectors of the Pharaoh."

The Dark Magician offered Eatos his open hand. "It has been an honor, Guardian Eatos. If we ever meet each other again on the field of battle, may it be not as bitter enemies fueled by darkness, but as friends and rivals representing the best of our masters."

The other Guardians nodded in agreement as they began to fade away. Eatos herself was the last to do so, but before she disappeared she took the magician's hand in her own and shook it. "May it be so, Dark Magician."

A Few Months Later, after DOMA…

"Hey, Yugi!"

Yugi and the spirit within him both turned towards the direction of the voice, eyes wide in surprise. "Rafael? Is that you?"

The massive blond man raised a hand in greeting. "I recognized you from a short distance back and I'm glad I caught you. I've been thinking…I've dueled the Pharaoh twice now, and both times I was filled with hatred and the shadow of the Orichalcos was looming over us both. Now that this whole mess with Dartz is over, I've wanted to give the Pharaoh a fair, friendly duel. The way this game should have been played from the start. What do you say?"

"Uh, I don't have a problem with that. But you might want to ask the Pharaoh first. Pharaoh?" The Millenium Puzzle suddenly glowed with a brilliant yellow light, and when it faded Yami had taken over Yugi's place.

"It would be an honor, Rafael," the Pharaoh agreed. "I will gladly duel you."

Rafael grinned. "I've been looking forward to this!" he extended his arm and activated his duel disk, a normal Kaibacorp one to replace the Chaos disk that had been given to him by Dartz. No doubt he had wanted to get rid of that accursed reminder of his own crimes and those that Dartz had committed against him.

The two of them drew their five cards and began to play their cards. For three turns, Rafael and the Pharaoh played out their strategies and countered their opponent's, neither one of them able to gain a significant advantage over the other. Then, Rafael drew his next card…and smiled once he saw it.

"Well, Pharaoh…" he said smugly. "I think it's time to introduce you to an old friend of ours. Unfortunately for you, you weren't able to send any of my monsters to the Graveyard, and you know what that means. Guardian Eatos, come forth now!"

There was a flash of light and a rush of feathers as Rafael's most valuable and cherished monster emerged from a portal of life.

The Pharaoh smiled at seeing Eatos. "I was expecting you to summon Eatos at some point in our duel, Rafael, so I think now it's my turn to bring out my own champion. I activate Magical Dimension!"

As he said those words, the card lifted face-up from the field. "Allow me to explain how this card works," the Pharaoh explained. "As long as I have a Spellcaster on my field, I can sacrifice one monster in order to summon a Spellcaster from my hand. Then, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field! I previously used my Breaker's special ability to destroy one of your face-down cards, so I'll sacrifice him to bring forth my Dark Magician!"

A golden casket attached by chains to a cubic steel frame emerged out of the ground. The casket opened and immediately a beamt of destructive light erupted from it, surging straight towards Guardian Eatos."

Rafael looked strangely unperturbed. "I have no intention of letting you destroy my prized Eatos, Pharaoh, so now I activate Self Tribute! By paying 1000 Life points I protect my Eatos from destruction by your Magical Dimension!"

From out of the duelist's body, several swirls of energy seeped away from his chest and entered Eatos. The life point essence from Rafael caused the angel's body to glow brightly as the light from Magical Dimension blasted into her, protecting her from destruction."

"Impressive move, Rafael. However, there's nothing you can do to stop my Dark Magician from being called to the field," Yami responded. The golden casket of Magical Dimension opened forward and the Dark Magician himself entered the fray.

Yami and Rafael suddenly both stared in shock. "Rafael…" the Pharaoh gasped, his voice barely audible. "Your Guardian Eatos…I could have sworn…she…she just smiled upon seeing my Dark Magician!"

"So I wasn't just seeing things…" Rafael responded, equally stunned. "For some reason, your magician seems very happy to see my Eatos again. But…why? What could be going on?"

Eatos repressed the urge to laugh. "It appears our masters are ignorant of our conversation in the Graveyard all those months ago, Dark Magician," she mentally projected her thoughts out to him. "It is good to see you again."

The Dark Magician was similarly happy. "Well met, Guardian Eatos. I am glad that our paths have crossed again so soon, now that the darkness has lifted and the threat of the Orichalcos is gone forever."

"You are forgetting one thing, my friend," Eatos' smile turned confident and challenging. "Though we are friends, we are still rivals and opponents on the field of battle. And I have every intention of winning this fight for Master Rafael."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Eatos," the Dark Magician replied. "You may have a powerful effect, but even without the help of Timaeus I have plenty of potential and tricks of my own courtesy of my Pharaoh."

He raised his staff and pointed it Eatos, a gesture of challenge. "Are you ready for our battle to begin?"

"Absolutely," was the angel's only reply.

"LET'S DUEL!"

/

My first (and probably only Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic). My interests do shift around a lot, don't they? XD

I've got a lot of unfinished fics to worry about, and I'm sorry for that. It's just college life is SOOOOOOO busy

Read and review please!


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